Power-indicator for vehicles.



H H. WELSH POWER INDICATOR $08 VEHHILES.

APPLICATION HLED FEB-9,1914.

4- SHEETS-SHEET i.

HJH. WELCH.

PGWER INDICATOR FOR VEHICLES.

A PLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1914.

H H. WELCH.

POWER INDICATOR FOR VEEICLES.

APPLICATiON FILED FEB. 9, 2914.

LQWLQ'ZS. Patented Sept. 18,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H. H. WELCh.

POWER INDICATOR FOR VEHICLES;

APPLICATIOF. FILED FEB Patented Sept. 18, I

HORACE H. WELCH', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POWER-INDICATOR FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 18, 1917 Applicationfiled February 9, 1914. Serial No. 817,660.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE H. VVELGH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of-Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful lmprovements in Power-Indicator for Vehicles, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is primarily to provide an improved meansby which the horse power consumedin running a vehicle on the road may beindicated. It consists in the elements and features of constructionshown and described as indicated in the claims. In the drawings, thereare shown two forms of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front or face elevation of a travel indicator (speedometeror odometer) equipped with the devices constituting this invention, thefront of the casing being broken away to disclose these devices,

- the parts being shown in position of rest.

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the same with the casing broken'away todisclose the parts constituting the invention.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the parts in the positionoccupied when indicating horse-power consumption in travel.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to 1g. 1, showing I 10, suitably Journaled 1nthe case, and rigid a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to-Fig. 2 of the form shown in Fig. a.

Fig. 6 is a face elevation of an instrument embodying anothermodification of the invention. I

Fig. 7 is a vertical fore-and-aft medial section of the same.

Fig. 8 is a section at the line S8 on Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation with the front plate partly broken awayshowing another modification.

Fig. 10 is a section at the line 1010 on Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a partly sectional front elevation of an instrument showing afurther modification with the front plate removed and certain partsshown in section at a plane axial with respect to the rotating indicatorelement. v I

Fig. 12 is a detail section at the line 12-12 on Fig. 11.

For the best efiiciency of the devices shown in both forms, thesedevices are associated with a shaft which is continuously rotated bymeans entirely independent of the movement of the parts constituting thedevice for the indication which they are to instrument rotated in anyfamiliar way by connection witha wheel or shaft of the vehicle. For thepurposes of this invention, there is provided a shaft, 5, having journalbearings supported in the case forpositioning said shaft horizontally,and, most conveniently'for compactness in certain respects, with itsaxis in a line intersecting the axis of the main shaft 4. Upon theshaft, 5, there is mounted a pendulum or depending weight, 6, adapted toswing away from said shaft forwardly with respect to the direction oftravel of the vehicle. Rigid with the pend ant weight, 6, there is asemi-circular disk, 7. The shaft, 4, is provided with a worm, 8, whichengages a worm gear, 9, on a shaft,

with said worm gear there is a disk, 11, preferably in the plane of thesemi-circular disk, 7. Both said disks have their peripheries concaved,and at the nearest point of approach they are separated by a distance alittle less than the diameter of a ball, 12, which is checked by a fixedfinger, 13, against escape from its lodgment in the grooves of the twodisks, as seen in Fig. 2. Rigid with the semi-circular disk, f7, andpendulum, 6, there is a crown-gear segment, 14, which meshes with apinion, 15, on the indicator staff, 16, journaled in the casing and pro-100 truding through the front plate, 17, thereof, so as to carry behind.the protecting glass, 18, an indicator hand, 19. On the forward face ofthe front plate, 17, there are gradnations about the axis of the staffconstitut- 105 ing a dial, 20, whose graduations are in power units,preferably, in most cases, units of horse power.

Considering this mechanism when the instrument containing it is mountedwith the 110 41 Lat 11o,

shaft, i, normally vertical when the vehicle stands at rest on a leveltrack, it will be seen that, disregarding entirely the effect of theclutch ball, 13, upon the pendulum action of the weight, 6, if, when thevehicle is being driven for-war l, the motor driving it is disengaged bythrowing out the clutch, the power which has been required to developthe speed a ainst all the resistances, and which will be measured by theeffect of these resistances in slowing down the vehicle, is a functionof the speed, the weight of the vehicle and the rate of diminution ofthe speed. Thescale, 20, being calibrated for a given speed and givenweight of vehicle, the indications become a direct function of the totalresistance to travel, these resistances to- 'be taken going first oneway and then the other, the average reading being used. is. comparisonof the reading wlth the standard horse power required to drive thevehicle at the selected speed, which the maizers of the vehicle arealways prepared to state, will indicate whether the vehicle is in allrespects inproper order, or whether it is at some part operating with agreater than normal friction.

An indication taken n the manner ole-- scribed,that is, with the clutchthrown out,-will afford no clue as to the condition of the motor. Inorder to'ascertain whether the motor is in proper working order, or is,on the contrary, Working against embarrassments, the reading-may betaken in the same manner as above described, except that, in-

stead of throwing out the clutch, the spark will be cut out, if it. isaninternal combustion motor, or cutting off the steam or the battery, ifit is a steam or electric motor, so that the motor well. asthe car willbe driven by the acquired momentum of the car. This indication'beingcompared with the indication obtained by throwing out the clutch, willgive the total power absorbed by the motor, which, being compared withthe horse power absorbed by the motor in proper condition at theselected speed, will i show its relative condition in respect tointernal resistance or friction.

In the absence of any provision to the contrary, the pendant weight, 6',would tend to oscillate back and forth and make it impracticable-toobtain an accurate reading. The purpose of the connection which includesthe clutch ball, 13, is 'to make the instrument"dea d beat.- If thedisk, 11, were at rest, it will be seen that the initial and therebyprev 1 Hts, it

1ft, -l-, in direction to roll the ball awa; om the periphery of thesemi-circular r T; and thereby, when the vehicle is mo o t at the sh at,is revolving and th stated, the clutch sc vented or released, and if therotation of disk, ll, is quite slow, the release being cor.-respondingly slow, the clutch ball acts as a damper upon the pendantweight and pie vents it from responding to mere olts or i nstantaneousimpulses which cease before the clutch ball releases the disk; theresult is that the index needle, 19, is practically dead 1 forwardmovemen of cause the clutch b:

comes a perfect grade meter, the dead beat feature above describedoperating effectively to render the grade indication reliable and e frominaccuracies due to mere jolts. it will be understood, however, that inorder to make the grade indication true, it must be taken when thevehicle is traveling at uni- .rorm speed, since otherwise theacceleration or retardment will give the indicator needle a movement inaddition to that which is caused by the grade.

'As a power meter, the device is not affected by the gradient of theroad on which thereading is taken. If, for example, the clutch is thrownout when the vehicle is on a down grade just steep enough'to maintainthe selected speed, the power furnished by gravity being exactly thatwhich on a level would be furnished. by the motor, that power will bedirectly related to the grade and the index needle will stand at theposition to indicate at the same instant both the grade and the horsepower required to drive the vehicle on a level road at theselectedspeed. If the down grade is less than sulficient to maintain theselected speed by gravity, the retardment or negative acceleration willoperate to swing the weight, 6, farther forward than it would be swungby the grade alone, and the needle will indicate precisely the samehorse power as before, but will swing beyond the point proper toindicate the grade. On the other hand, if

spondingly more rapid, the weight will receive a stronger forwardimpulse than at the same speed on level or down-grade, but it will notswing farther from normal position, because the upgrade will operate tocarry it backward. The power indication will therefore be exactly thesame in all three cases, but only in one of thfn,viz.

when the gradient is just sufficient to maintain the speed,will thegrade be correctly indicated at the same time as the power.

In,the form shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the Weight from which the indicationis derived is mounted for sliding on a shaft, 26, which is preferablyhorizontal when the vehicle stands on level track with freedom to slidebackward and forward on the shaft against'the resistance ofa spring 27,which is flexed one way or the other by the movement of the weight oneway or the other, and which incidentally prevents the weight fromrotating with the shaft, 26. The static friction ofqthe weight thussliding on the shaft which would prevent its starting in eitherdirection against the resistance of the spring until the impulse forstarting it became considerable, is practically eliminated by mountingthe shaft, 26, for rotation, preferably quite slowly, by the main shaft,4, of the speedometer, such rotation being caused by a worm, 8, on' theshaft, 4, engaging the worm gear, 9, on the shaft, 26. With thisprovision, the negative acceleration caused by throwing out the clutchin cutting off the power, causing the vehicle to move only under-its ownmomentum, operates to start the weight forward substantially as if itwere held without friction and to carry it forward against theresistance of the spring, .27, a distance corresponding to the strengthof the impulse. The weight, 25, is preferably a horseshoe magnet havingits poles broad and notched, providing aplurality of projecting pointsor poles, 25, which travel in a path parallel to an indicator staff, 30,which comprises at the portion opposite the path of the magnet a flatsoftiron strip or ribbon, 31, spirally twisted to an extent which makesthe distance from turn to turn equal to the dis tance between the pointsor poles 25 of the magnet. At the normal position of rest these pointsor poles, which, as illustrated, are six,three upon each end of thehorseshoe magnet'alined two and two transversely of the shaft, 26,-standopposite-three successive turns of the spirally twisted ribbon,

as seen in Fig. 4, so that the said ribbon is held by attraction of themagnet at three points Without contact therewith. When,

now, the magnet is caused to slide on its shaft, the attraction of thepoles for the spirally twisted strip of the shaft causes the 'ed e ofthe latter to follow and substantially keep up with the magnet points,maintaining the spiral edge constantly adjacent to the edge of themagnet poles or points;

and, since the staff,'30, cannot move longitudinally, it is compelled torotate in order to present the spiral edge constantly to the magnetpoles moving longitudinally of said staff. By this means, the slidingof-the magnet produces rotation of the index staff and of its indexhand, 32, which is positioned with respect to the graduated power scaleprecisely as in the other form.

This form is adapted also to serve as the grade indicator, because itwill be seen that when the vehicle is traveling up grade, the

weight, 25, Will tend to slide one Way on the shaft, and when movingdown grade it will slide the other way, rotating the index staff andhand through an angle corresponding perfectly to the angle ofinclination of\th'e shaft, 2.6. v

In order to provide for adjusting the instrument to vehicles ofdifferent weights without reconstruction in the form shown in Figs. 4and 5, the spring, 27, is made adjustable as to its operative length bymeans of a check or bridle, 27, mounted on a fixed finger, 28, formovement along the length of the spring from the secured end of thelatter, and adapted to be secured by a set screw 20, on the finger, 28,at any posi-' tion to'which it may be adjusted. The heavier the vehicle,the shorter the operative length of the spring should be made, and thefinger, 28, may be graduated in units of vehicle-weight. Two or threedifferent sizesof springs may be provided, adapted, respectively, tooperate with vehicles ranging between certain limits, and adapted'to beadjusted in the manner described to any on the arm, 6 by which it issuspended from its pivot shaft, 5.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8, there is shown a different form of embodiment ofthis invention. In this form there is mounted within a casing, A, drums,shaft, C, carrying a. plurality of scales graduated for differentspeeds, as hereinafter explained, each scale being exposed for readingthrough an aperture in the casing four scales being shown and twoapertures, a and a being provided in the face B, both on the same O -icn1s cirriec no. G, each bein otcd 5.. o e endm the opposite ends oi weiht, andhaving the other end sect the casing.

' arallel with each other on at v. nich the segment rack is gaged nearthe it'orward end with the pinion, the inst unent being designed to bemount- 1a ed with he aco plate facing rearward and the we" t mounted forreciprocating foreand i t in the direction of travel of the vehicle; Cnone end of one of the drums, there is secured ratchet disk, H, andpivoted to the casing directly above the axis of tie drum is tumble-boblever, J, having at its upper end a weight, J adapted to oscillatebetween two stop lugs, and L on the easing. Upon the pivot of the'tui'nble-bob lever there is also pivoted a pawi K, whose tail, K restsagainst a stop 5 on the tumble-bob lever, so that the pawl normallytends to rock about its pivot with rockingof the tumble-bob lever. Thepawl is adapted to be engaged with the ratchet disk, H, as a detentwhentlie tumble-bob is rocked forward against the forward stop, L and itis lifted out of engagement with the ratchet disk when the tumble-bobrocks back against the stop, L. The-last men'tioned position is thenormal position of the parts when the vehicle is at rest or in forwardtravel at absolutely uniform speed. At the normal position of the drumwhen the rack,

40 E, is at the position shown inl ig. 7, the spring arms, G andF,'being parallel and vertical, the graduated scales, M M M and M on thedrum shut their zero marks at the openings, a and a?, respectively.

Above the'openings for the respective scales there is marked the speedat which they are to be read. For example, 10, 20, 30 and40 miles perhour, as shown in the drawings;

lVhen thevehicle is running at the speed of 1 0 miles'per hour, forexample, the driving power being disconnected, the diminution of forwardmovement of the vehicle causing relative acceleration of the weight, E,with respect to the casing in'which it is supported, will.cause theweight, E, to move forward in the casing in the path controlled by theparallel spring arms, F and G, causing the rack, E engaging the pinion,to rotate the drums. Thesame acceleration will cause the tumble-bob, J,to swing forward against the stop, L carrying the'pawl, K, down intoengagement with the ratchet disk, H, and the tumble-bob we ght beingcarried over the center of support will hold the pawl in that position,causing it by its onement with the ratchet dis 0 detain t -e A and thedrums, Q, at t I position to llCll they are rota" by the ward 1novclentof the weight, nl, the distance to which they are moved against theresistance of the 'ng arms being in accordance with the ac- 10, bein"calibrated the veh. e, will in- "e by the figure exposed at the readingerture, a", the horse power necessary for ng the vehicle at 10 miles perhour. ilarly, when the .vehicle is traveling at miles per hour, thepower being disconnected, the scale, M will indicate at the aperture of,the horse power necessary to *e the vehicle at 20 miles per hour, andsimilarly, for the scales graduated at 30 miles and 40 miles,respectively.

Upon considering this device, it will be observed that the weight, IE,will respond by movement to nothing but acceleration in the direction oftravel. Neither up nor down jolts nor lateral jolts will give it anymovement whatever, and the indication, therere, which its movementproduces will be tree from errors due to such olts.

In Figs. 9 and 10, there is shown a differembodiment of this invention.

In this form, there is mounted in the casing, N, preferably in asuitable rigid frame, N an indicator drum, 0, which is graduated on itsouter face in power units, which may be read through an opening, a, inthe case as the drum rotates to carry the'scale figures past theopening. Rigid with the drum, 0, for rotating it is a gear wheel, 0which is mounted for rotation upon a shaft,

0 upon which there is also mounted for swinging about it a lever arm, P,which carries at its extremity a weight, P which, by reason ofsuch'mounting is adapted to swing in a horizontal plane fore-and-aft inthe line of travel of the vehicle. A spring, Q, coiled about the axis ofthe spindle, O is'connected atone end withthe hub of the lever arm, P,and at the other end with the hub of the gear, 0 the spring being coiledin such direction that the swinging of the arm, P,

forward in the line of travel increases the tension of the spring andthe rotation of the gear in the direction to turn the indicator drum,-Opast the opening, n, in the direction in which it is graduated fromlower to higher reading, also tends to tighten the spring,that is,increase its resistance to the forward swinging of the arm. In theframe,

N1, there is .journaled a shaft, R, which is rotated by any meansindependent of the swingin of the arm, 1?, or'thc rotation of theind1catordrum, and this may be the shaft ofa speedometer or odometerwhose casing forms the casing for the mechanism described. Loose on theshaft, R, is a pinion, S, which meshes with the gear, Connectedwith thehub of the pinion, S, is a to that very slight lateral movement willbring the coils into contact with the shaft, and, cause the shaft whenrotating in the direction of the coil to wind them up and cause them tooperate as a clutch gripping resistance to the forward movement of thethe shaft and causing theshaft to rotate the 10.

pinion, S. The lever arm, P, extends crosswise of said shaft, R, nearthereto and carries a flat pad, P which presses laterally against thecoils ofthe flat coiled spring, T. The several parts are so connectedthat when the zero part'of the indicator, 0, is exposed at the opening,7%, the pad, P is immediately adjacent to the coils of the spring, T,but not pressing the same against the shaft, R. Upon any forwardmovement of the weight, P pressing the pad, P against the spring, T, thesaid spring will be coiled tight upon the shaft and clutch the pinion,S, thereto, causing the latter to rotate, and by rotating the gear, 0 totighten the spring, Q, increasing its lever arnnP, and weight, P andtending to retract the pad, P from the spring. 1t results that when thegear, O has been rotated enough to tighten the spring, 0 to a tensionsufiicient to overcome the forward impulse acting upon the weight, P topress arm, P, will be retracted and the pad with- '35 the pad, 1,against the spring, T, the lever drawn from the spring, which willimmediately relax its grasp upon the shaft and cause the rotation of thepinion, S, and gear, to-cease. The extent to which the gear, 0 isrotated before the tension of the spring, Q, becomes sufficient toovercome the forward impulse of the weight,'P becomes a measure of theforce of that impulse; and the extent to which the gear, 0 thus rotatesbefore the pad isretracted from the spring, T, being shown by the figureon the graduated indicator member which is by that rotation brought tothe opening, a, the read ing thus obtained when the drum is graduated inpower units and calibrated for a given weight and speed of vehicle, willindicate the power requiredto drive the vehicle at the selected speed.The drum may have a plurality of parallel graduations for differentspeeds, and the casing having its opening, n, extended across theseseveral parallel graduations may be marked at the margin of the openingopposite the several graduations with the speed for which they arerespectively calibrated. The spring, Q, will be adapted to the weight ofthe particular vehicle, a different springbeing substituted for eachdifferent weight of vehicle to which the instruinent is applied.

In Figs. 11 and 12, there is shown a still different embodiment of theinvention. This form is identical with that last described, except thatthe shaft, R, is the shaft of an electric motor, W, which is energizedin an electric circuit comprising a contact piece, 39 carried by thearm, P, in lieu of the clutchoperating pad, P of the preceding form.

And instead of the pinion, S, loose on the shaft, there is a. pinion, s,which is fast on the shaft. The circuit, V, is closed by contact of thecontact piece p ,.with the shaft, R.

In this construction, the parts being so connected that when the Zeromark of the indicator drum is exposed at the opening, n, the contactpiece, 39 is just out of contact with the shaft, R, and the motor,therefore, at rest. It will be seen that upon any forward impulse beingcommunicated to the weight, P the contact piece, p being brought againstthe shaft and closing the circuit will cause the motor upon beingenergized to rotate the gear, 0 and tighten the spring, Q, with theeffect of retracting or tending to retract the contact piece, 37 fromthe shaft, R, causin the circuit to be broken and the motor to bedeenergized and .come to rest after having rotated the gear, 0 enoughtoincrease the tension of the spring, Q), until it overcomes the forwardimpulse upon the weight, P, the extent to which the indicator drum isrotated in thus tightening the spring being the measure of saidforwardimpulse, and, the drum being graduated and calibrated as in thepreceding form, the figure on the drum exposed at the opening, a, willindicate the horse power required to drive the vehicle at the selectedspeed.

I claim 1. A power indicator for vehicles, comprising a casing, a weightand means by which it is held yieldingly against back and forwardmovement relatively to the casing in the line of'travel of the vehicle,said means being adapted to produce an accumulating resistance to suchmovement of the weight; an indicator element and a cooperating graduatedscale element, one of said cooperating elements being mounted formovement with respect to the other,-an.d means-by which the movement ofsaid weight controls the movement of the movable one of said cooperatingelements, a rotary driving ele ment, and connections by which itinfluences the rotation of the movable one of said cooperating elements,said connections being adapted for checking said movement of the weight.v

2. A power indicator for vehicles comprising a casing, a weight andmeans by which it is held yieldingly against back and for ward movementin the line of travel of the vehicle, said means being adapted toproduce an accumulating resistance to such movement; an indicatorelement and a cooperating graduated scale element, one of saidcooperating elements being mounted for i ,1 movement with respect to theother; a rotary driving element and connections by I which it rotatesthe movable one of said cooperating indicator elements adapted to caumaccumulation of said yieldin resist ance to such movement; a sourceenergy for causing such rotation, and means by which the movement of theweight against I such accumulating resistance connects said rotarydriving element with said source 0 energy for rotation.

' 3. A power indicator for vehicles comprising a casing, a weightmounted for i backward and forward movement in the line 15 weight; asource of energy for causing said rotationof the rotary driving element,and

means by which the weights movement connects said rotary driven elementwith said source of energy for rotation.

' 4:. A power indicator for vehicles comprising in combination with acasing, a

weight mounted for backward and forward movement in the line of travel'ofthe vehicle, a springwhich yieldingly resists such movement of theweight forward and tends to retract it; an indicator element mounted forrotation; a rotary driving element and connections by which it rotatessaid indi- "ca'tor element, connections by which the rotation of saidindicator element operates on the spring to increase its resistance tosaid movement of the weight, an electric motor; connections .by-whichthe motor rotates said rotary driving element; a circuit in which themotor is energized comprising a contactmaking-and breaking part whichcarried into circuit-closing position by said forward movement of theweight;

.5. A, power indicator for vehicles comprising, in combination with acasing, a weight mounted 'in the casing for movement backward andforward in the line of travel'of the vehicle; a spring which yieldinglyresists its forward movement and tends to retract it; a wheel mountedand connected with the spring for increasing its resistance when thewheel is rotated in one direction; a shaft and connections therefrom forso rotating the wheel; an electric motor for rotating the shaft; acircuit in which it is energized comprising a contactmaking-and-breakingpart which is carried into circuit closing position by said for-' wardmovement of the weight, and an indicator element rotated by said Wheel.

6. A power indicator for vehicles'comprising, in combination with acasing, a weight mounted for movement forward and backward in the lineof travel of the ve hide; a spring which yieldingly resists its forwardmovement and tends to retract it; an indicator element mounted formovement; connections between said indicator element and the spring bywhich the movement of the former in one direction increases, and in theother direction diminishes the resistance of" the spring to the weightsforward movement; an electric moset my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this7th day of February, 1914:.

' HORACE H. WELOH.

Witnesses: I

Roar. Ni BURTON, LUCY I. STONE.

